Cookery Courses Italy recipe : Sugo al Pomodoro |

Simple tomato sauce

A good rich simple tomato sauce is the basis of many an Italian recipe and will stand you in good stead when an authenticItalian sauce is needed. Master this and we promise you will never ever again buy an industrial bottled ragu sauce.

cooking instructions

Place a saucepan on the stove, and heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Crush 2 of the garlic cloves, and add them to the olive oil, cooking them until they are fairly golden brown.

Once the garlic is golden, add the chilli, and then immediately add the crushed tomatoes to the saucepan. Mix the tomatoes, and season them with salt to taste. Simmer the sauce over low heat for approximately 20 minutes so that it begins to thicken.

Turn off the heat, and add the basil sprigs while the sauce is cooling, remembering to remove them once the sauce has cooled completely. The tomato sauce should be a rich red color. If it is brick red, it is too thick and needs to be thinned , add a little water until your happy with consistency .

Tip.

Add a pinch of sugar will eliminate any acidy taste.

Cookery courses in Italy recipe | Fresh Egg Pasta

Ingredients

This recipe yields six servings of pasta; consider one egg and 3/4 cup flour per portion.

Cooking Instructions

1. Form a ball. On a marble or wooden work surface, pile the flour into a mound. Make a well in the center of the mound. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, salt, and olive oil together with a fork until blended, and then pour them in the well. Continue beating the egg mixture with the fork, gradually drawing in flour from the sides of the well until the egg has been absorbed by the flour. If needed, drizzle a small amount of warm water, and continue mixing. Once the dough has formed, clean your hands and the work surface.

2. Knead and knead (and knead again ! ) Flour the work surface again. Knead the dough: press the heel of one hand deep into the ball, keeping your fingers high, then press down on the dough while pushing it firmly away from you. The dough will stretch and roll under your hand like a large shell. Turn the dough over, then press into the dough, first the knuckles of one hand, than with the other; do this about ten times with the knuckles of each hand. Then repeat the stretching and knuckling process, using more flour if needed to prevent sticking, until the dough is smooth and silky, for about 10 to 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a smooth ball.

3. Rest. Place the dough in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature or up to 1 day in the refrigerator, before rolling and shaping the pasta. If the dough has been refrigerated, let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before rolling and shaping.

4. Roll. Shape the dough into a rough circle. Lightly flour the clean work surface. With a rolling pin, begin rolling the dough as you would a pastry crust, starting in the center and rolling away from you to the outer edge. Turn the dough a quarter-turn, and repeat, working your way around, until the sheet of dough is 1/8 inch thin or less. Scatter a small amount of flour on the dough whenever it starts to stick to the surface or the rolling pin. Italian tradition dictates that the sheet of dough be transparent enough to read text beneath.

5. Shape. From orecchiette to lumache, there are hundreds of shapes of fresh pasta. For a simple hand-cut tagliatelle, gently roll the sheet of dough around the rolling pin, and slip it off onto a clean, lightly-floured work surface. Cut the roll of dough into strips the desired width, then gently lift them in the air and drop on a dishtowel, separated. Repeat with the remaining sheets of dough.

6. Cook. Fresh egg pasta cooks in a flash (think: 10 to 15 seconds). As soon as it rises to the surface of the heavily-salted cooking water, it is likely ready. A taste test will show if it is al dente enough.

7. Serve. Every pasta variety and shape pairs uniquely with various sauces. Tagliatelle's ribbons are delicious with a heavier sauce featuring meat or seasonal vegetables.

Cookery course Italy , How to make perfect espresso

C Pitcher

B Filter - Fill with medium ground coffee

A Base - Fill with cold water up to the small valve

instruction

For Italians , coffee is an important part of the daily routine, starting with that first sip of rich, crema espresso. Learn how to brew the perfect espresso using the traditional classic Italian moka, a stovetop coffeemaker.

Follow this simple guide.

1. Moka. The octagonal stovetop coffeemaker has three parts: the base, the filter, and the pitcher.

2. Assemble the ingredients. Fill the base with cold water up to the small valve, and set the filter inside the base. Fill this with ground coffee - a medium grind works well , then tightly screw on the pitcher.

3. Burble and brew. Place the coffeemaker over low heat on the stove. As it brews, the coffee will begin to burble up into the pitcher of the coffeemaker.

4. Remove from heat. When all of the water has risen, the coffeemaker will begin to sputter. Be careful when opening the lid of the pitcher; the still-spurting espresso has been known to scald even the most practiced of home coffee brewers.

5. Drink it hot. Pour the espresso into a cup, and enjoy immediately!

Why not check out our other Cookery courses Italy recipes

This recipe is an example of what to expect with Taste Trails Rome | Cookery courses in Italy. What we cook in the lessons depends on the time of the year and what is in season . We try and use only fresh , local and if possible organic ingredients .